US army forces shoot down armed drone over coalition airbase in Iraq
US forces fighting the Islamic State group have shot down an armed drone that targeted a coalition airbase in Iraq.
The unmanned aerial system, reportedly made of carbon fibre, was intercepted by US air defence systems at Ain al-Asad Air Base at 1.46am on Friday.
The base, which hosts both Iraqi and US armed forces, is located in the desert in the western Anbar province.
No casualties or damage were reported and the incident is under investigation.
A statement from the US Combined Joint Task Force said: ‘At approximately 1.46am, April 8, US air defense systems shot down an armed unmanned aerial system entering Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
‘There are no reported injuries or damage and all coalition personnel are accounted for. The incident is under investigation.’
The attack comes after four US troops were hurt on Thursday when rockets were fired at a base housing American forces in neighbouring Syria’s Deir Ezzor province.
A pair of shells fell on the base in Green Village, which is used to train local forces to fight against what remains of the Islamic State.
One of the soldiers was treated for a traumatic brain injury and the second was treated for minor injuries, according to a since-deleted tweet from the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant, which oversees the U.S. led forces in the region.
An anonymous American official told the Reuters that both soldiers have been cleared and returned to duty.
Dozens of rocket and armed drone attacks have targeted US troops and interests in Iraq in recent months.
Western officials have blamed hard-line pro-Iran factions for the attacks, which have never been claimed.
In early January, coalition forces in Iraq said they shot down two armed drones targeting the Ain Al-Asad base.
It was also attacked in March last year when at least 10 rockets were fired from a launcher located five miles from the airbase.
At the time, a US civilian contractor suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering and passed away shortly after.
The US-led coalition ended its combat mission in Iraq in December 2011, four years after the Baghdad government declared victory over the jihadists.
But roughly 2,500 American soldiers and 1,000 coalition soldiers remain deployed in three Iraqi-controlled bases across the country, including Ain Al-Asad, to offer training, advice and assistance to national forces.
Source: Daily Mail
